Currently, the drug delivery market is dominated by oral delivery products, but many of the emerging technologies are not administered via the oral route. In fact, only six companies in this report are developing oral delivery technologies, while 30 companies are focused on novel parenteral delivery systems. This is indicative of the continued trend toward utilizing novel technologies to actually enable delivery of a drug, rather than extend its life cycle or make the product more convenient for the patient. The increased activity in the parenteral drug delivery space is also due to the growing number of new drugs which are complex molecules or biologics. These drugs require specialized formulation and delivery technologies to be commercially viable.

As evidenced by the companies reviewed in this report, novel parenteral technologies are leading the drug delivery pipeline. However, these are not the traditional parenteral technologies that we've seen in the past such as PEGylated formulations and sustained release PLGA-based depots. The parenteral delivery space has grown to include novel materials, targeted nanoparticles, carrier systems and conjugates that enable site-specific delivery of a variety of drugs, including RNAi-based therapeutics. Many of these technologies enable formulations which are less toxic with fewer side effects.

Lauren Sciences LLC for instance, is developing the proprietary V-SmartTM nanovesicle technology which has demonstrated the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and deliver encapsulated contents directly to the brain. Another young start-up, Ekteino Laboratories, is developing a silk-based sustained release system which has certain benefits over traditional PLGA-based systems. Multiple novel delivery devices are also being developed which enable the subcutaneous delivery of drugs, some of which are based on microneedles or micropumps.